Finland extends Russia border closing by four weeks

(Reuters) - Finland will extend the closure of its border with Russia by four weeks until Feb. 11, the ministry of interior said on Thursday, confirming earlier reports that all crossings would remain shut.

On Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah told national broadcaster YLE that the border, which had otherwise been set to reopen on Jan. 15, would remain closed.

Finland closed its border with Russia late last year in response to a growing inflow of asylum seekers, which it said was an orchestrated move by Moscow, a claim which the Kremlin denies.

When two border crossings reopened briefly in December, more than 300 asylum seekers entered from Russia within two days, the Finnish Border Guard then said, after which the country closed the entire border for another month.

"Based on the information gathered by the authorities, the threat of the phenomenon restarting and expanding as previously experienced is likely", the interior ministry said in a statement announcing the extended closure on Thursday.

(Reporting by Greta Rosen Fondahn; editing by Terje Solsvik)